558.“只是住在地与海上的有祸了，因为魔鬼就大大发怒下到你们那里去了”表对教会中那些陷入唯信的内在与外在，并由此陷入生活的邪恶之人的悲哀，因为其同类从天上被摔到灵人界，从而与地上的世人联结，并出于对新教会的仇恨而鼓动他们坚持自己的虚假和由此而来的邪恶。“只是住在地与海上的有祸了”表示对教会中那些陷入唯信教义之人的悲哀；“有祸了”表示悲哀（416节）；“住在（其）上的”表示教会中那些持守唯信教义的人；“地”表示那些陷入该教义的内在之人；“海”表示那些陷入其外在之人（470节）；“大大发怒”表示对新教会的仇恨，因为它反对那个“妇人”（525节）；“下到你们那里去了”表示下到灵人界中的灵人那里，由于这些灵人与地上的世人联结，故它也表示下到地上的这类世人那里。龙从天上被摔到灵人界，那里的灵人与地上的世人联结（参看552节）。
“龙”在此被称为“魔鬼”，是因为所指的是那些因这异端邪说而陷入生活的邪恶之人；因这异端邪说而陷入生活的邪恶之人就是照着其信仰的这一信条而生活的人：凡信心十足地向父神祷告的人都没有罪，即便有，它们也被赦免了。所有这类人因不省察自己，故不知道自己里面的任何罪，最终甚至不知道何为罪（参看531节）。“龙”和“魔鬼”一样，表示那些陷入其欲望的邪恶之人（550节）。每个人都与灵人界中的灵人联结，因为就其心智的情感和由此发出的思维而言，人就是一个灵；因此，就这些情感和思维而言，他不断与处于类似情感和由此而来的类似思维的灵人联结。这种联结具有这样的性质，如果这种纽带断开片刻，人立时仆倒身亡。教会至今对此一无所知，也不知道人死后就是他自己的情感和和由此而来的思维，故而就是他自己的仁和由此而来的信，没有人能成为与仁分离之信。
558. "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath." This symbolizes a lamentation over people who are caught up in both the internal and external tenets of the doctrine of faith alone and are thus engaged in evil practices, since people of their character were cast out of heaven into the world of spirits and so into conjunction with people on earth, where they incite them to persevere in their falsities and consequent evils because of their hatred of the New Church.
"Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea" symbolizes a lamentation over people in the church who are caught up in the doctrine of faith alone. "Woe" symbolizes a lamentation (no. 416). The inhabitants symbolize people in the church whose doctrine is one of faith alone. The earth means people caught up in its internal tenets, and the sea, people caught up in its external ones (no. 470). The devil's great wrath symbolizes a hatred of the New Church, because it is directed at the woman (no. 525). To come down to them means, symbolically, to those in the world of spirits, and because these are in conjunction with people on earth, it means symbolically also, to people of the same character on earth.
That the dragon was cast out of heaven into the world of spirits, and that people there are in conjunction with people on earth, may be seen in no. 552 above.
[2] The dragon is here called the devil because those people are meant who, owing to that heresy of theirs, are caught up in evil practices, and people who, owing to that heresy, are caught up in evil practices are people who live in accordance with this tenet of their faith, that no sins attach to people who pray confidently to God the Father, and if they do, that they have been forgiven. And because they do not examine themselves, they are not aware of any sin in them, and eventually do not even know what sin is, as may be seen in no. 531 above. That the dragon as the devil means people who are caught up in the evils of their lusts, see no. 550.
Everyone is in conjunction with people in the world of spirits because, in respect to the affections and consequent thoughts of his mind, everyone is a spirit. Therefore he is continually, in respect to these, in conjunction with spirits who have the same affection and consequent thoughts. The conjunction is such that if the connection should be broken even for a single moment, the person would fall dead.
The church has previously known nothing of this. Nor has it known that a person after death is the embodiment of his affection and consequent thought, thus of his charity and consequent faith, and that no one can embody a faith divorced from charity.
558. 'Woe to those inhabiting the land and the sea, because the Devil has come down to you having great wrath' signifies a lamentation over those who are in things internal and external of the doctrine concerning faith alone, and consequently are in evils of life, since their like have been cast down out of heaven into the world of spirits, and are consequently in conjunction with the men of the earth, and by reason of hatred against the New Church are stimulating them to persist in their untruths and consequent evils. By 'woe to those inhabiting the land and sea' is signified a lamentation upon those in the Church who are in the doctrine concerning faith alone. By 'woe' is signified lamentation (416); by 'those inhabiting' are signified those who are in the Church of which the doctrine is faith alone; by 'land' is understood those who are in the internal, and by 'sea' those who are in the external things thereof (470). By 'great wrath' is signified hatred against the New Church because against 'the woman' (525); by 'to come down to them' is signified to those who are in the world of spirits, and because these are in conjunction with the men of the earth it also signifies to such on the earth. That 'the dragon' has been cast out of heaven into the world of spirits, and that those who are there are in conjunction with the men of the earth, may be seen above (552).
[2] The dragon is here called 'the Devil' because those who are in evils of life as a result of that heresy are understood, and those are in evils of life on that account who live in accordance with this [tenet] of their faith, that those who pray confidently to God the Father have no sins, and if they have, that they are remitted. These, because they do not examine themselves, are unaware of any sin in their own case, and at length do not know what sin is, [as] may be seen above (531). That by the dragon as 'the Devil' are understood those who are in the evils of their own lusts (550). The reason every man is in conjunction with those who are in the world of spirits is because a man as to the affections of his mind and the consequent thoughts is a spirit. In respect to these he is therefore in conjunction with the spirits who are in a like affection and the consequent thoughts. The conjunction is such that if this bond should be broken for a single moment the man would fall down dead. Formerly the Church had no knowledge of this, nor of the fact that after death a man is his own affection and the consequent thought, thus his own charity and the consequent faith, and that no one can be a faith separated from charity.
558. Woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea, for the Devil is come down unto you, having great anger, signifies lamentation over those who are in the internals and the externals of the doctrine of faith alone, and thence in evils of life, because their like are cast down from heaven into the world of spirits, and are thence in conjunction with men on the earth, whom, out of hatred against the New Church, they excite to persevere in their falsities and evils thence. By "woe to those that inhabit the earth and the sea" is signified lamentation over those in the church who are in the doctrine of faith alone; by "woe" is signified lamentation, (416); by "those that inhabit" are signified they who are in the church whose doctrine is faith alone; by "earth" are meant they who are in its internals, and by "sea" they who are in its externals, (470); by "great anger" is signified hatred against the New Church, because it is against "the woman" (525); "to come down unto them" signifies to those who are in the world of spirits, and as these are in conjunction with men upon the earth, it also signifies to such on the earth. That the dragon was cast out of heaven into the world of spirits, and that they who are there are in conjunction with men on the earth, see above, (552).
[2] The dragon is here called the Devil, because they are meant who from that heresy are in evils of life; and they are in evils of life from that heresy who live according to this tenet of their faith, that they have no sins who pray in confidence to God the Father, and that if they have they are remitted. All such, because they do not examine themselves, do not know any sin in themselves, and at length do not even know what sin is, as may be seen above, (531). That by the dragon, as "the Devil," are meant they who are in the evils of their lusts, (550). The reason why every man is in conjunction with those who are in the world of spirits, is because man, as to the affections of his mind and the thoughts thence proceeding, is a spirit; therefore as to such affections and thoughts, he is continually in conjunction with spirits who are in a similar affection, and thence in similar thoughts. There is such a conjunction, that if this bond was broken for a single moment, man would fall down dead. The church has hitherto known nothing of this; nor that man, after death, is his own affection and thought thence, therefore his own charity and faith thence, and that no one can be faith separated from charity.
558. "Vae habitantibus terram et mare, quia descendit Diabolus ad vos habens iram magnam," significat lamentationem super illos qui in internis et in externis doctrinae de sola Fide sunt, et inde in malis vitae, quoniam similes e Caelo dejecti in Mundo spirituum sunt, et inde in conjunctione cum hominibus telluris, quos ex odio contra Novam Ecclesiam excitant ut in suis falsis et inde malis perseverent. - Per "vae habitantibus terram et mare" significatur lamentatio super illos in Ecclesia qui in doctrina de sola Fide sunt; per "vae" significatur lamentatio (416); 1per "habitantes" significantur qui in Ecclesia sunt cujus doctrina est sola Fides; per "terram" intelliguntur qui in internis ejus, et per "mare qui in externis ejus (470) per iram magnam, mare qui significatur odium contra Novam Ecclesiam, quia contra "Mulierem (525); per "descendere ad illos" significatur ad illos qui in Mundo spirituum sunt, et quia hi in conjunctione sunt cum hominibus telluris, etiam significatur ad tales in tellure: quod Draco conjectus sit e Caelo in Mundum spirituum, et quod illi qui ibi sunt in conjunctione cum hominibus telluris sint, videatur supra (552). Draco hic vocatur Diabolus, quia intelliguntur qui ex illa haeresi in malis vitae sunt; et illi ex ea in malis vitae sunt, qui secundum haec fidei illorum vivunt, quod peccata non illis sint qui in fiducia ad Deum Patrem orant, et si sunt, quod remissa sint; qui quia non explorant se, non sciunt aliquod peccatum apud se, et tandem nec quid peccatum, videatur supra (531); quod per Draconem ut "Diabolum" intelligantur qui in malis concupiscentiarum suarum sunt (550). Quod omnis homo in conjunctione sit cum illis qui in Mundo spirituum sunt, est quia homo quoad mentis suae affectiones et inde cogitationes est spiritus; quare continue est quoad illas in conjunctione cum spiritibus qui in simili affectione et inde cogitationibus sunt; est talis conjunctio, ut si illa copula quoad unicum momentum solveretur, homo caderet mortuus.De hoc Ecclesia nihil prius sciverat; nec quod homo post mortem sit sua affectio et inde cogitatio, ita sua charitas et inde fides, et quod nemo possit esse fides separata a charitate.
Footnotes:
1. 416 pro "490"